my family is back from the philippines and my godmother thoughtfully gave me a gorgeous native bag for "pasalubong." one look and i knew it was from bicol. i profusely thanked her through text messaging and told her i love it and how it's perfect for summer.

now, because of its unique design, everyone who lays eyes on it wherever i go can't help but compliment me on how pretty the pocketbook is. the unanimous gush of admiration would be "i love your pocketbook! where'd you get that?" and of course, my proud reply would be, "it's from the philippines."

my sister got me three of pol medina jr.'s recent pugad baboy comicbooks which i had requested, purchased at national bookstore. i loved loitering about in that place before. usually i'd be in the greeting card section even if i didn't need to buy anyone a card, or i'd be in the stationery section, browsing through cute junk. therapeutic window-shopping.

xoxoxoxoxo

very recently, i went to albany for some important business. it is about two hours away from our place, just off I-87 north. my family tagged along to new york's state capital for two nights (mainly for the much-needed moral support). in the heart of this city's downtown area is the empire state plaza, the most prominent landmark of which is "the egg" convention center. it is called such because of its remarkable shape. i do believe it looks more like a bowl. it is a venue for various entertainment events or conferences, pretty much like nearby pepsi arena is.

the square comprising the empire state plaza has beautiful modern scultpures incorporated into the park areas, such as the wooden sculptures you see above. it doubles as a resting area and playground for my little cousins. the church you see just yonder is the cathedral of the immaculate concepcion, known as the "oldest neo-gothic cathedral structure in the country".

the corning tower provides visitors with free access to the observation deck where you can get a bird's eye view of downtown albany. i didn't get to climb that part of the building, but my parents did. their free souvenir was a print-out of their pictures taken from the security camera. it has a date and the words "corning tower, albany, NY" printed on it.

even if i missed the corning tower observation deck, i got to visit the new york state museum which only required you to give a donation of $5.00 per family, or $3.00 if you're a lone tourist. the museum is divided into different themed areas such as the modern arts, the pre-historic adirondack region, and the new york city area. the map says it has a grand carousel on the upper level, but they were already closing for the day.

albany is not only historic, it commands awe and respect for all its stately government buildings and old churches. i wish i had more time to truly explore the other attractions in this place. but i'm sure i'll be visiting this city again.

xoxoxoxoxo

i purchased a 7.2 megapixel sony cybershot digital camera early this month. the pictures you see here were shot with said device. an amazing feature of it is that the USB connector can also be plugged into your tv set so you can view your pictures and videoclips straight on your tv screen! i am bequeathing my old 4 megapixel minolta dimage camera to my mom. it still takes good pictures despite its damaged lens rim. now i should get a bigger-sized memory stick...